Zhang Ziyi

Born on Feb. 9, 1979 in Beijing, China, Zhang was raised by her father, Yuan Xiao, an economist for the state-run telecom, and her mother, Li Zhou Sheng, a kindergarten teacher. Like most families living in communist China at the time, Zhang's family had very few possessions. Her life changed for the better when at 11 years old, she was admitted to the prestigious Beijing Dance Academy, where she spent the next six years of her life away from her family, engaged in a rigorous training program of 16 hour days for six days a week. All the hard work paid off. When she was 15, Zhang won the national youth dance championship, which led to bigger and better opportunities, like appearing in Hong Ko... Continue Bio >>